Bottle-closure device.



F. W. HOEFER.

4BOTTIE GLOSURE DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 1, 1912.`

Patented Oct. i914.

mlm-1m UNITED fs'raansN 'afrnNir ovinos.

FRED W. HOEFER, 0S LYNDHURST, NE'W JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARD MEYER, OF

HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY. l L

BOTTLECLOSURE DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oet. o, 191i.

Tool! whom it mag/conce1a/-' O Be it known that I, FRED W. HOEFER, acitizen of the Unlted States, and residing at Lyndhurst, in the `countyof Bergen and4 State of N ew Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Bottle- Closure Devices, of which the followingis a specification, such aswill enable those skilled in the art to'which it appertains to make and use the same. v

This invention relates to devices for closing bottles, small jugs, jarsand similar veseels. and the object thereof is to provide 'an improveddevice of this class designed for use in connection with an ordinarymilk bottle or similar vessel after the ordinary /stopper hasbeen'removed, and for the purposes of keeping dust and dirt out of thebottle,` while the contents thereof are being d1s` charged at different'timesor intervals The invention is fully disclosed in the followingspecification of which the accompanying drawing` forms a part, in whichthe separa te parts of my invention are designated by suitable referencecharacters in each of the views, and in which :f-

Figure l is a side view of the top of an ordinary milk ottle providedwith my ini-- proved closure evice ;-Fig. 2 a central vertical sectionalview thereot';--l*`ig. 3 a bottom plan view of the main part of aclosure cap which I employ, and;Fig. 4 a section on the line 4-4 ofFig'. 3.

In the drawing forming part of this speciication, I have shown at a thetop or neck portion of an ordinary milk bottle, and in the practice ofmy invention, I provide a closure deyice comprising an arc-shaped springclamping;- member b, the wings b2 of which are adapted tombe passedaround the neck of the bottle below the annular enlargement a2 at thetop thereof. and as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2, and said member b ispreferably stamped from sheet metal, and secured centrally of the backthereof is an upright support c, in the` top of which is pivoted, asshown at (f3. a short lever or arm fl the inner end of which is pivotedto a cap f, as shown at (a, and the outer end of which projects to forma thumb or finger piece rZ, and secured centrally of the part andpreferably between said part (l and support fr, as slnnvn at ,l/ is aspringr /L which extends upwardly" and is passed backigvarflly through a'fork (r3 at the top ot Ene support c and which bears on the bottom ofthe thumb or finger piece d* of the lever (l, as shown at ll.le and bydepressing the outer end of the levertZ the cap f may be'raised into theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, and the contents of thebottle, or a part thereot',` may be discharged therefrom.

The cap j' is preferably composed of 'a metal top disk f2 and a bottomdisk f3 of fibrous material which forms a packing to more securely closethe top of the bottle, and the objectof pivoting the. lever Z to the capf, as shown at (la, is to permit said cap to swing freely so thatit willrest evenly on the top of the neck of the bottle at all points, andcompletely close the same, and said cap, as will bev understood, is heldin a closed position by the spring 7b. I

The metal diskm']u2 which forms` the top part of the cap f is providedcentrally thereof `with two ears f* which are stamped from the materialthereof and betweenvvhich the lever (Z pivoted, and the bottom of said`met-nl disk f2 is provided with barbs or prongs which .are stamped fromthe material thereof and which are preferably arranged in a circle andall of which project in' the same direction, and by pressing the fibrousdisk f on the bottom of the disk f2 and turning it to theright, the saiddisks willbe connected, as will be readily under stood, and the bottomor packing disk f3 may bedctached and anew one, substitated thereforwhenever desired. 'l j My improved closure device may be used in connetion with various forms of bottles or vessel and all that is necessaryis to simply slide the neck of the vessel into the clampingr member Z3,or slide sai/.l clamping member onto the neck of the vessel the wingsbeef the part oiorming spring jaws which extend isuiicientty ar to clampand hold the-neck of the vesseland to secure the closure device thereto.

My improved closure device -for vessels of the class specified may bemade rf any suitable material, and changes in and modifications of theconstruction described may .be made, within the .scope of the appendedclaims, without departing` frornthe spirit of my invention orsacrificingf its advantages.

-Having fully described my invention, whatV I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A closure device for vessels provided with a neck having anannularenlargement at the top thereof, said closure device being composed of abottom are-shaped clamping member` having spring-jaws adapted to par- 5tially inelose the top partvof the neck and centrzilljf of which issecured an upright support,' a lever pivoted in said support, a. capplate to the central top portion of which said lever is pivoted, and aspring secured 10 at the -back of the. clamping member and bearing onthe under side of the outer end portion of said lever.

2,' In. a bottle closure, the combination of a spring' clip adapted toengage the neck of 15 a bottle; a 1eve1,'means comprising a pivot jointfor connectlng said lever and Said clip, :1 stopper, a pivotaljointconnecting Said stopper to one arm of Said lever the other arm of saidlever forming handle,A and a spring tending to hold the stopper inclosed position. 4

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have si ed mynaine in presence of the subscribing Witnesses this 3rd day of October,1912.

FRED W. HOEFER.

Witnesses C. MULREANY, S. ANDREWS.

